A heterogeneous network proposed in LTE-A standard includes different types of base station nodes, which may include a macro base station and a small base station such as a micro base station and a home base station. A small cell is deployed, and the load of a micro cell may be alleviated in a case that a portion of traffic load is undertaken by the small cell. Moreover, a load balancing process may also be performed between adjacent small cells, to alleviate a case that loads of a portion of the small cells are too heavy. Network throughput can be increased by load balancing.